I decided to have a play with Linux, and try UQLX2017 on it. But I am having problems. Probably because I don't know one end of Linux from the other.

The UQLX document says

Create a uqlx directory on your system. Copy the uqlx distribution (.zip) file into that directory and extract (unzip) the files.

I assume it means in "Home". When I do this I end up with two uqlx directories, one inside the other. Is this correct?

It then says

Renaming the Right Binary

uQLx comes in a 32-bit (qm_x86-32), 64-bit (qm_x86-64) for Intel and 3 versions for ARM.Determine if the Linux distribution you are using is 32- or 64-bit by running the "uname -i" command.If the result is i686, then the Linux is 32-bit.Copy either a version to qm:% cp qm_x86-32 qm

Starting uQLx with the Distribution Configuration

The uqlx.sh shell script starts uQLx with the uqlxrc-distro configuration file, which uses the uqlx.qxlfile that comes with this distribution. You can start it up by running the shell script:% ./uqlx.sh

I managed the first by copying, pasting and then renaming qm_x86-32

For the second, I assume I need a command prompt? How do I easily start one? If I open what I take to be the equivalent of the Start button (is this Dash?), which has a Search option. And I type "command prompt", After a long wait while the window gets drawn, I then get what looks like a command prompt. But if I enter "% ./uqlx.sh". Nothing of much sense happens, even changing directories with "cd" does not help.

So could someone give me a real idiots guide of what I need to to to get UQLX to run.

I think the first step is to find a good intro book to Linux. The UQLX documentation assumes that you know a little bit about Linux, as does the QPCII documentation assumes know you a little bit about Windows.

It depends on how you extracted the zip file as to if it creates a new directory or puts the files in the current directory.

The command line you are talking about is called 'Terminal', at least in Ubuntu. It is really known as the shell and might come up in a menu system with a variety of names.

The % is the shell prompt, just like "C:\>" is the Windows shell prompt. The ./ means to find the command locally and to not try the PATH variable. To see exactly what the script does, then do "cat uqlx.sh" to list the file to the screen (cat = type in DOS).

I have now dumped the full desktop version of Ubuntu, and installed XUbuntu instead, which looks and works a lot more like Windows. I don't think that the PC I'm using is good enough to run the full version of Ubuntu.

Following the UQLX user guide, I can now start UQLX with the distribution configuration. But the following from the manual does not make a lot of sense to me.

Copy and edit the configuration fileCopy the .uqlxrc file into your own home directory. If you are the user "ted", then your home directoryis probably going to be "/home/ted". Edit the .uqlxrc file so that "<user>" is the user name that you areusing (like "ted"). This is the normal location of the .uqlxrc file. Using the -f option when startinguQLx, the configuration file can be located anywhere and have any name.

There is no .uqlxrc file, but there is a .uqlxrc-distro file.

So I copied that to the Home directory (/home/martin/), and renamed it .uqlxrc

When it says 'edit the .uqlxrc file so that "<user>" is the user name that you are using ' I don't see anything in the file that says 'user'

And

Staring uQLxFrom the command line, cd to the uqlx dirctory and type the command:% ./qm

When I do this, I get an error message in Terminal saying 'could not find qdos ROM image'. I take this as meaning that I have not done the .uqlxrc file bit right.

Martin_Head wrote:There is no .uqlxrc file, but there is a .uqlxrc-distro file.

In Linux/Unix, file names starting with a dot are normally hidden when using the ls command, you can see them using 'ls -a' or 'ls -al'.

So I copied that to the Home directory (/home/martin/), and renamed it .uqlxrc

When it says 'edit the .uqlxrc file so that "<user>" is the user name that you are using ' I don't see anything in the file that says 'user'

The uqlxrc-distro file is different from the .uqlxrc file and can be used without modification by starting uqlx with the -f uqlxrc-distro parameter (it does use the JS rom rather than Minerva). It's better to copy the .uqlxrc file to your home directory and customise it, though.(edit: it's easier to replace /home/martin/ with ~/ in the .uqlxrc file, e.g. ROMDIR=~/uqlx/romdir, this avoids the need to use absolute paths and should have been done in the distribution .uqlxrc file).

I've been working mostly from the desktop. So, I've just looked in the Zip file, and yes there is a file '".uqlxrc" with <user> in it. So it does exist, I just cant see it.

When you copy it to the Home directory, Do I have to retain the ".", so it remains invisible?

If I want to have different configurations of UQLX. Would I have to make different versions of the 'uqlx.sh' file? Say 'js.sh' or 'minerva.sh' with corresponding 'uqlxrc-js' and 'uqlxrc-minerva' files. Then start UQLX the way the manual does for the distribution configuration.

Martin_Head wrote:I've been working mostly from the desktop. So, I've just looked in the Zip file, and yes there is a file '".uqlxrc" with <user> in it. So it does exist, I just cant see it.

When you copy it to the Home directory, Do I have to retain the ".", so it remains invisible?

If I want to have different configurations of UQLX. Would I have to make different versions of the 'uqlx.sh' file? Say 'js.sh' or 'minerva.sh' with corresponding 'uqlxrc-js' and 'uqlxrc-minerva' files. Then start UQLX the way the manual does for the distribution configuration.

You can use various options to start uqlx, just type 'qm -?' at the command prompt. Notably the -f option to specify an alternative configuration file (if omitted, it uses the .uqlxrc file in your home directory), and the -o option to specify the ROM image.

I am trying to test my IP Network driver in uqlx. But I get a 'Not Found' error when I try to start the driver. I'm guessing it's failing when the program tries to open a couple of TCP channels.

I have not investigated too deeply yet, But I was just wondering if the IP driver is available in uqlx2017?

Looking through the uqlx instruction book, I don't see any reference to the IP device driver. Is there a option to enable it?

Its there but the device is *TCP_ or TCP*_ (I can remember which), and I have no idea why it has the *

Does anyone know if the IP driver actually works in UQLX? Is that why the IP devices all have a * in front of them to stop people using them.

I have been trying to get a Windows 7 PC and a Xubuntu PC to talk to each other in QPC2 and UQLX2017

The Xubuntu PC is set up for dual booting with Windows XP or Xubuntu.

I am running a server program in SBASIC on the Windows 7 PC using my IPBASIC extensions. And a client program on the other PC

If I have both PC's running Windows, then everything works as expected. However when I use UQLX in Xubuntu with (essentially) the same client program.The client fails on the line OPEN_IN#6,"*tcp_172.16.0.5:5800" with a Not Implemented error.

I don't know if the Not implemented error is due to the IP drivers not working in UQLX2017, or the two PC are not talking to each other correctly. ( I can ping each PC from the other one, so there is a connection of some sort)

On another point, When UQLX starts. I don't get the QDOS/Minerva start screen, it just goes straight into monitor mode as if F1 had been pressed. Is this an option that I can turn off, or have the supplied ROM images been patched to auto F1 on start up?